19" LCD Monitors Roundup. Part XI. Page 13

We continue testing 19” monitors from the leading makers such as ASUS, HannStar, LG, NEC and ViewSonic. This roundup will include models with 5:4 aspect ratio as well as widescreen ones with 16:10 aspect ratio.

NEC MultiSync LCD195NX

Yet another monitor from NEC, this model comes from the more expensive MultiSync series and has a classic aspect ratio of 5:4.

The specs are quite standard. The LCD195NX is based on a very ordinary TN matrix without RTC.

The classic bulky appearance of this model should be familiar to everyone who has ever seen an LCD19xx series monitor. The screen bezel is rounded off and thin but the monitor seems large due to the thick case and the monumental stand.

The stand is functional, however. You can adjust the tilt and height (from 70 to 175mm) of the screen, rotate the screen around the vertical axis and pivot it into portrait mode. The stand can be replaced with a VESA-compatible mount.

There is a standard set of connectors here: digital and analog video inputs, an audio input and a connector for the integrated power adapter. There is no headphones socket. The cables are neatly hidden under the decorative cap of the stand.

The controls are placed at the bottom center of the front panel and designed in NEC’s traditional style. The joystick you may be familiar with by more expensive NEC monitors is missing here, though. The Power button is highlighted with a LED. Quick access is provided to the auto-adjustment feature, to the brightness setting and to choosing the source of video signal.

This is a standard menu of NEC’s inexpensive monitors. It doesn’t have labels to the menu items (you have to guess the meaning of the incomprehensible icons) and doesn’t remember the last changed option. You can’t also exit the menu by pressing a button (you have to use the arrows to move to the Exit icon instead).

The monitor’s brightness and contrast are set at 100% and 50% by default. I achieved a 100nit white by lowering both to 30%. You should not increase the contrast setting above the default level because lights become indistinguishable from white. When the contrast setting is reduced to 15% and lower, darks get indistinguishable from black. Color gradients are reproduced without banding at any settings. The monitor regulates its brightness by means of backlight modulation at a frequency of 400Hz.

The brightness setting is somewhat odd here. Changing it from 72% to 100% doesn’t produce any effect whatsoever – the level of white remains the same.